Designing Ecological Habitats - Gaia Education

236 Designing ecological Habitats
The fertile edge of the
river bank.
Whilst these permaculture ethics are more like moral
values or codes of behaviour, they are not enough on
their own. We need the principles of permaculture to
provide a set of universally applicable guidelines that
can be used in designing sustainable systems. Otherwise,
permaculture becomes merely a lifestyle choice within
an existing unsustainable system. These principles can
be inherent in any permaculture design, in any climate,
and on any scale. They have been derived from the
thoughtful observation of nature, and from earlier work
by ecologists, landscape designers and environmental
science.
Each principle can be thought of as a door that opens
into a whole system of thinking, providing a different
perspective that can be understood at varying levels of
depth and application. David Holmgren, the cooriginator
of permaculture, redefined permaculture
principles in his seminal book, Permaculture – Principles
and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. 2
When I started giving talks about permaculture to all sorts of different
audiences, I decided to write my own explanations and apply the principle
not only to designing gardens and farms but to business, society and
culture. Every principle comes with David’s ‘proverb’ and is followed by
my explanation.
Observe & Interact
This element of stillness and observation forms the key of permaculture
design. In a world of ‘fast’ everything, having the capacity to observe the
seasons, watch the changing microclimates on a patch of land, understand
how the patterns of wind, weather and slope affect the frost pockets and
plant growth, is an opportunity to begin to learn the deeper aspects of Earth
Care. It also makes us more capable of making wise decisions about how we
design or eco-renovate our houses and plan our gardens and farms.
Catch & Store Energy
Intimately connected to observation is the art of capturing energy in a
design – so that we minimise the need to seek resources from the outside.
In a garden this is about avoiding planting tender seedlings in frost
pockets in spring or maximising solar gain by siting a greenhouse/
conservatory on the south side of a building so that we can both extend
the season and heat a house with passive solar gain. We are attempting
to capture water, sunlight, heat, soil, biomass and fertility whenever we
can in order to become more self-resilient.